Viewpoint: Sometimes, Good Things Come in Threes

Five round fights in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division are rare
and beautiful things. Unlike the promotion’s more svelte
performers, whose smaller frames and different body compositions
generally allow for greater cardiovascular feats, it takes a
special type of big man to be able to persevere through 25 hard
minutes.

On Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Cain
Velasquez and Junior dos
Santos went the distance in a memorable and grueling battle at
UFC 155 -- the first time a heavyweight title fight in the
Octagon had seen the judges’ scorecards since Randy
Couture and Tim Sylvia
accomplished the trick at UFC 68 more than five years ago.

“If I had to bet, I would have bet everything I have that fight
wouldn’t go five rounds, and I’d be broke right now,” UFC President
Dana White said at the post-fight press conference.

White had good reason to feel the way he did. The first meeting
between dos Santos and Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 lasted a mere 64
seconds before “Cigano” put his stamp on the fight with an overhand
right and follow-up punches to capture the heavyweight strap. That
was simply par for the course for the Brazilian, whose formidable
hands had finished seven of his UFC victories, including four
inside of a round. Velasquez had a similar track record, though by
different means, as the Mexican-American owned seven of his eight
Octagon triumphs via stoppage -- five in the opening stanza.

More than stamina issues, the majority of heavyweight fights come
to a premature end because of the serious power of the athletes in
the cage. The UFC 155 headliner appeared destined for a similar
fate when a Velasquez overhand right toppled dos Santos in the
first round. The
American Kickboxing Academy stalwart swarmed his foe with heavy
ground-and-pound for the remainder of the frame, but, against all
odds, dos Santos survived.

If you expected dos Santos to wilt under Velasquez’s unrelenting
pressure once he got off his stool for round two, you were
disappointed. Yes, Velasquez was never in danger, as he became the
first fighter in UFC history to hit triple digits in significant
strikes (111) and double digits in takedowns (11) in the same
fight. Yet there was something admirable about dos Santos’
resilience. As his battered visage began to more closely resemble
the mask worn by horror-film icon Leatherface than his own,
“Cigano” never quit.

In fact, as the contest reached the championship rounds, he
arguably got better, relatively speaking, of course. According to
figures released by FightMetric.com, Velasquez out-landed dos
Santos in significant strikes by a whopping 66-to-19 count in the
opening two frames. His wrestling was also at its most effective,
as he successfully grounded dos Santos seven times in 14
attempts.

In rounds four and five, the Brazilian battled Velasquez to a
virtual stalemate in terms of significant strikes, out-landing the
challenger 25 to 23, though it is worth noting that Velasquez held
a 61-to-30 edge in total strikes. Dos Santos also tightened up his
takedown defense, successfully stopping 11 of his adversary’s 14
tries.

Make no mistake, dos Santos won neither the fourth nor the fifth
round, but considering where he came from after the contest’s
initial five minutes, it was an admirable second wind.

Sherdog.com

Overeem figures to be next in line.

“I envisioned this fight going so many ways, and one of them was a
hard, five-round fight,” Velasquez said. “And that’s what it was.
His takedown defense is really good. It’s not easy to get a
takedown on him. It’s a thing of having to keep pressuring him. You
get some takedowns and you don’t get some other ones. It’s part of
the game. You just keep pressing on.”

It is difficult to name one other heavyweight currently on the UFC
roster who could stop 22 Velasquez takedowns and still have the
energy to make it to the finish line against the tireless
30-year-old as dos Santos did. Some may point to Alistair
Overeem? We may very well get the chance to see how the hulking
Dutchman will fare against Velasquez should he get by Antonio
Silva at UFC
156 as anticipated. Just do not expect Velasquez to provide the
same type of target that the diverticulitis-depleted Brock
Lesnar did for Overeem a year ago at UFC 141. If the
“Demolition Man” cannot make Velasquez taste his power early, he
has little chance of making it 25 minutes against the two-time
heavyweight king.

Fabricio
Werdum could be interesting thanks to his submission acumen,
but Velasquez is just as capable of hurting “Vai Cavalo” on the
feet as he is of asserting his will through ground-and-pound.
Hoping for another Fedor
Emelianenko-type moment from Werdum in such a matchup is
probably a little bit too much to ask.

Outside of those two, the rest of the promotion’s heavyweight ranks
are currently filled with veterans on the way down,
not-ready-for-prime-time prospects and a slew of reliable
gatekeepers.

Things change, however, when Daniel
Cormier fulfills the final bout on his Strikeforce
deal and the promotion closes its doors on Jan. 12. In May, Cormier
was the author of his own dominant five-round effort when he
defeated Josh Barnett
in the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix final. If anyone could
match Velasquez’s pace and intensity, it would appear to be
Cormier, who also possesses plenty of pop in his hands.

Unfortunately, the American Kickboxing Academy brethren are bound
by brotherhood not to compete against one another. If not for
Cormier, Velasquez is certain he would not be where he is
today.

“I wouldn’t [fight Cormier]. This is my friend, my teammate and my
coach,” Velasquez told Fox Sports. “If you want to see us fight, go
to AKA three days a week.”

That means the best heavyweight fight not named Velasquez-dos
Santos 3 will not happen unless one of the two teammates has a
Josh
Koscheck-like revelation and leaves the respected San Jose,
Calif., gym. Instead, it is far more likely that Cormier drops to
205 pounds and pursues a lucrative bout with Jon Jones
rather than wait for Velasquez to drop his belt.

“Whatever the deal is, we’ll go from there. Cormier’s a guy who can
come in and do anything,” White said.

Yes, Velasquez dominated dos Santos at UFC 155, but it was
captivating control. A few tweaks from “Cigano,” and perhaps the
playing field could be level. Like Velasquez used his UFC on Fox 1
defeat as motivation to come back stronger than ever, dos Santos
can use his first Octagon setback as fuel to improve and grow.

The first two bouts between the two top-ranked heavyweights in the
world were a study in contrasts, one breathtaking and quick, the
other grinding and brutal. An eventual third chapter seems needed,
if only for closure. The exact date of that meeting is uncertain,
but it feels like destiny.